Bryce Gibbs re-signs at Carlton

Carlton is still making heavy work of its football, and a significant clean out may again be necessary. But one of the men chiefly in the gun back in April has turned things around, and on Tuesday afternoon it was announced that Bryce Gibbs recommitted to the Blues for a further five years, a period which will take him to the age of 30, and the end of 2019.

Carlton football manager Andrew McKay believed that the decision was illustrative of the newly recontracted parties' faith in each other, while Gibbs' broad smile suggested a man pleased to have put pen to paper.

Things had been different in the early part of season 2014. Carlton was stuttering, and its prodigiously skilled number one draft pick was failing to play at the expected level. Out of contract at the end of the year, with a Blues rebuild looming and suitors back home in South Australia flagging their intent to lure him back to pie-floater territory, Gibbs' future at Visy Park appeared decidedly shaky.

It didn't help when Gibbs' management reportedly advised him to ask the club to present its case for the midfielder should remain at Carlton. The man himself suggested those discussions had been "blown out of proportion", although conceded that the process took longer than he would have ideally wanted.

"You can't rush these things," Gibbs said.

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Gibbs quashed the widespread belief that he was really entertaining the prospect of a return to his native state.

"I wanted to deal with Carlton and Carlton only."

McKay concurred. "The thing to keep in mind is we talk about extended negotiations and things like that, but the first thing Bryce's manager and I spoke about when we sat down is: one, that Bryce wanted to stay, and two, that we wanted to keep him, so then it was just a matter of going through the process and coming to the right conclusion."

Gibbs also denied that the speculation had led to his underwhelming opening start to the year.

Taken as the first selection overall in the 2006 national draft, Gibbs has played 168 games for Carlton since debuting in the following season's opening round. He has been remarkably durable, playing no fewer than 21 games in each of his seven completed season thus far.

While yet to win the club's best and fairest award, Gibbs has finished in the top 10 every year of his career, and been in the top five on five of those occasions. Averaging 25 disposals a game, and sitting 20th in the AFL for clearances, he would likely be near the top of the John Nicholls Medal leaderboard at present.

"I've just focused on playing my role for the team. I think I've done that on a more consistent basis this year," he said.

Despite Carlton's current predicament - 4-9 and with a challenging run home - Gibbs anticipated that success was on the horizon.

"Hopefully big things," he said. That's we're all playing footy for - to win premierships - so I have no doubt over the next five years we'll give ourselves every opportunity to do that.

"There's just great people around the club, upstairs, in the footy department, and I know the players really wear their heart on their sleeve."

McKay was relieved that a horror season was afforded some respite.

"It's certainly good to have some good news. Obviously after the week we've had with the terrible loss to GWS. It's fantastic to have Bryce agree to terms."

Gibbs joins fellow No.1 pick and club captain Marc Murphy as signing for the long-term after Murphy in May extended his contract to the end of 2018.

With two key playmakers locked away discussion will soon turn to the matter of coach Mick Malthouse's future at Carlton.

Gibbs backed his current mentor. "I certainly hope he can stick around."